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Phyllis Griffin interview transcript, December 21, 2004

upon them, possibly. Um... it was a time when monks were burning themselves alive on the streets of Vietnam. 

NL: I know I've seen some of the pictures. 

PG: And it was in the Unitarian Church that we were able to discuss some of our most troubling feelings about politics and philosophy an religion.

NL: Incidentally, you mentioned that you were talking with uh, a friend of yours whose a philosophy professor who had read your moms name in some books? 

PG: Yes, Immanuel Eze is his name. 

NL: Immanuel Eze? 

PG: His last name is spelled E-Z-E. And he is at De Paul. 

NL: And he would be able to give me the titles of those books? 

PG: I think he might be able to, I mean I was really shocked. Because this was a professor from Africa, who somehow had come across readings about my mother, and who considered her case, this struggle that happened in Iowa, as a very important case. People are looking at this on a national level. 

NL: I'm definitely going to have to talk to him. Incidentally, uh, when you were mentioning the question about the color of God it reminded me of a book that I had read by James McBride called "The Color of Water: which is how his mother answered that question. 

PG: Beautiful. Yeah, we're the color of water. 

NL: Um, but, that's a digression I suppose. 

PG: That's a good explanation, I like that. 

NL: Yeah, I think the book was about a mother who raised 12 children, and it was an interracial family, so that's how she helped them struggle with that question. Um, can you remember what organizations your mother was a part of back in the 40s and 50s, and what her role was in these organization? You mentioned the NAACP

PG: I know about CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality. Uh, the Women's Voters League. Um, somehow her activism got her labeled a lot of things, so it's hard for me to kind of differentiate between fact and fiction. Um, the FBI came to our house, because acquaintances had labeled her a Communist. This was during the House of American Activities Committee, so that if, that committee had not disbanded at the time if tell apart,

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upon them, possibly. Um... it was a time when monks were burning themselves alive on the streets of Vietnam. NL: I know I've seen some of the pictures. PG: And it was in the Unitarian Church that we were able to discuss some of our most troubling feelings about politics and philosophy an religion. NL: Incidentally, you mentioned that you were talking with uh, a friend of yours whose a philosophy professor who had read your moms name in some books? PG: Yes, Immanuel Eze is his name. NL: Immanuel Eze? PG: His last name is spelled E-Z-E. And he is at De Paul. NL: And he would be able to give me the titles of those books? PG: I think he might be able to, I mean I was really shocked. Because this was a professor from Africa, who somehow had come across readings about my mother, and who considered her case, this struggle that happened in Iowa, as a very important case. People are looking at this on a national level. NL: I'm definitely going to have to talk to him. Incidentally, uh, when you were mentioning the question about the color of God it reminded me of a book that I had read by James McBride called "The Color of Water: which is how his mother answered that question. PG: Beautiful. Yeah, we're the color of water. NL: Um, but, that's a digression I suppose. PG: That's a good explanation, I like that. NL: Yeah, I think the book was about a mother who raised 12 children, and it was an interracial family, so that's how she helped them struggle with that question. Um, can you remember what organizations your mother was a part of back in the 40s and 50s, and what her role was in these organization? You mentioned the NAACP PG: I know about CORE, the Congress of Racial Equality. Uh, the Women's Voters League. Um, somehow her activism got her labeled a lot of things, so it's hard for me to kind of differentiate between fact and fiction. Um, the FBI came to our house, because acquaintances had labeled her a Communist. This was during the House of American Activities Committee, so that if, that committee had not disbanded at the time if tell apart,